From the monthly archives:

March 2008

Boundaries

by Todd Albertson on March 31, 2008

carOnce upon a time my company, Small Town TV, rented office space at Santa Monica Studios. For history buffs: SMS was built on top of an abandoned 5-story Cold War bomb shelter that was a lot of fun to explore. Across the hall were the offices of Dr. Henry Cloud. Henry is a psychologist, radio show host and author. He is best known for his book BOUNDARIES: WHEN TO SAY YES, WHEN TO SAY NO–TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE.

Henry had the parking space next to mine. He habitually nosed his big Mercedes to the farthest edge of his space, which meant that I couldn’t open my driver’s door completely. I was forced to hold my door within a whisper of scraping paint from his car, then contort my body to worm my way out of the crack. Henry and I attended the same church; I liked him. But making myself into a midget every morning and night got to be more and more annoying.

coffee cup on tableOne day Henry and I were getting coffee at the same time in the break room. I asked him if I could talk to him about boundaries. A professional glow came over his face as if he were expecting me to tell him how much I enjoyed his book or to ask him a question about some loved one running roughshod over my life. Instead I told him my issue with parking boundaries.

Henry looked as if I had just slugged him in the stomach. He apologized profusely, said it wouldn’t happen again, and if it did, I was free to, “Barf all over my car.” Undoubtedly, that would have really overstepped boundaries but wasn’t at all necessary because the good doctor immediately changed his parking habits.

tree on beachI wish I could be as adaptable as Henry because lately I have been letting emotional and personal boundaries get pushed around. The result is that I have fallen behind in my writing. But now I am re-establishing some protective barriers.

I am taking the month of April off to finish my new book VISION CASTER. I shall be hiding out on a sunny beach in a Developing Country without phone or Internet access. If you write or call me in April, you won’t hear from me until May.

Thanks Henry for teaching me about boundaries and I’m glad I didn’t have to barf on your car!

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Interview On STORYbored

by Todd Albertson on March 31, 2008


STORYbored with Scott Schwertly

Check out the 7 Questions with Todd Albertson interview.

I liked his questions so much that I included them in my Press Kit.

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Todd’s Nine Rules Of Life

by Todd Albertson on March 3, 2008

rules of lifeA friend who was doing a research project recently asked me if I had any “Rules of Life.” Until he asked the question I had ten iron fast rules, but while revising them for him, I dropped one like a bad habit, and now have a lean and mean nine.

(1) No committee projects.
Mel Gibson’s publicist once told me, “Pound sand.” That is the most vivid description I can come up with of trying to get something done on a committee. They are filled up with busybodies, the unfulfilled, and the incompetent. Members remind me of my father’s dog Kahuna who barks for hours just to hear his own voice. Avoid committees!

(2) Don’t date models and actresses.
Jerry SpringerThis should be self-evident. You have an ego. They have EGOS. I just wish I had added this to my list 10 years ago. I ended up an emotional shadow of my former self.

(3) Don’t marry someone from the Jerry Springer Show.
If you marry someone who could be on a Best of Episode of the Jerry Springer Show, you won’t change them. They will change you and your family. You will become more abnormal than you already are and will end up on Volume 2 of the Best of Episodes yourself. My father learned this lesson the hard way. Don’t make his mistake!

(4) Eat healthy and exercise.
You only have one body, and you’ll be better off in both the short-term and long-term by taking care of it. I’m currently a fan of Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades’ Protein Power.  Also read my blog post from January 5th for my thoughts on Michael Pollan’s IN DEFENSE OF FOOD: AN EATER’S MANIFESTO.

(5) Enjoy your friends and family.
Life goes by in a flash. Enjoy your friends and family while they are around (but not if they’re Jerry Springer material). I’ve never met anyone dying who regretted not being able to spend more time at work.

Give Blood(6) Give blood.
A far better list than this one is the American Red Cross’s top 10 Reasons To Give Blood. Give blood. It is the right thing to do. Do it!

Once you’ve given blood, you’ll see how easy it is, and maybe you will move up to donating bone marrow too. Check out www.marrow.org for more information.

You can also save lives by donating your organs and tissue for transplants after you are dead (it’s not like you’re going to be using them, right?). Check out www.organdonor.gov to see how easy this is to do.

(7) Register to vote.
There is an old computer expression that says, “Garbage in, Garbage out.” The same holds true for voting. If you don’t vote then you get the kind of government, leaders and country you deserve. Get involved and help shape the direction of our country. Go to www.declareyourself.com for more info.

(8) Volunteer.
Sending your money to a good cause makes you feel good, but the real rush is when you take the next step, and give of your time, energy and talent. Whether you help pick up trash at the park, save the whales, spend time with senior citizens, stock shelves at the food bank or help out at your church or synagogue, volunteering is cool. You’ll make a difference in this world and most of the time have fun doing it. Check out www.volunteermatch.org to find opportunities with which to be matched.

know God(9) Know God. Know peace.
At last! A bumper sticker that is not just a slogan but absolutely true. This world is far too confusing and lonely to navigate on your own. Learn more about God. I guarantee He’s not what most people probably think. Check out www.needhim.org for more info.

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